BREXIT HELP & ADVICE - Blogs, Courses, Resources & Guides

Brexit – the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union – is now firmly established as reality following the triggering of Article 50 by Prime Minister Theresa May on 29th March 2017. We all know that “Brexit means Brexit”. But what does it mean in practice?

As it stands, barring an agreement by all 28 members of the European Union to extend the negotiating period, the United Kingdom will exit the European Union in March 2019. This much we know for sure. But what the United Kingdom’s future relationship with the European Union will be and it’s impact on immigration policy is still very much unknown.

HJT Training have set up a specific Brexit Help & Advice hub to provide up to date information and analysis on Brexit, as and when it occurs. We will provide links to significant policy statements and draft bills, and our blog posts and linked articles will aim to interpret their meaning from an immigration perspective. When any significant changes occur, HJT will provide training courses to bring our clients up to speed with the impact on their day to day immigration practice.

Brexit will bring about the biggest change in British Politics for over 40 years, the ramifications of which will be felt for many years to come. Let HJT Training guide you through the claims and counter-claims, so that you know what you need to know, when you need to know it.

Disclaimer: The views, opinions, conclusions and other information expressed in any linked articles or videos are not given or endorsed by HJT Training and are presented for information purposes only.

THE FACTS

NEWS FLASH BREXIT BILL DELAYED

News has just come through that the “Great Repeal Bill” is now not expected to be put back up for parliamentary discussion until mid-November. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman has not denied that the Bill would not face line by line scrutiny and debate until after a Commons recess due to end 13th November.

Quote from Guy Verhofstadt, the European parliament’s Brexit negotiator

“Some British politicians – not to name Boris Johnson – criticise their countrymen and women for wanting to keep their European identity. He accuses them of ‘split allegiance’. I think this is a binary, old-fashioned and reductionist understanding of identity. I think we need to be smarter, more open and more inventive then that.”

“It’s nonsense to talk about split allegiance. It’s perfectly possible to feel English, British and European at the same time. As it is perfectly normal to be a Dubliner, Irish and European at the same time,”

“It is this position that needs to be defended by our European Union just as the European Union needs to [make sure] there is no return to the past, to hard borders on our continent, and certainly not to a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.”

What do we do with Northern Ireland?

On the 16th August 2017 the UK government published a Position Paper outlining the Government’s position relating to the land border on the island of Ireland that is due to become the only land border between the UK and the EU following Brexit.

What does the Position Paper say?

Basically to keep everything as it is now with a special commitment from the EU to providing its extra funding for Northern Ireland.

Why are we leaving the EU? Can someone remind me?

The key buzz words for this paper are flexible, imaginative and seamless solutions. Somehow it appears to be the EU’s responsibility to come up with these.

State of play of Article 50 negotiations with the United Kingdom

This European Commission press release of 12th July 2017 is excellent. It has very detailed information about the technicalities of what may or may not happen following the triggering of Article 50 by the UK on 29th March 2017.
It gives a detailed breakdown of the progress to date and facts relating to the process including timescales.
It contains some very useful links including to all 9 position papers that have so far been published by the EU and a link to the Terms of Reference for the negotiations.